Filing- cabinet



6. WHITE.

FILING CABINET.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 2, 1913.

1,1 95,309; Patented Aug. 22,1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

G. WHITE.

HUNG CABINET.

APPLICATION FILED DELI, 19%3.

1,195,309. Patented Aug. 1916.

Z SHEETS-SHEET 2.

22 Inventor: '6 A d AL UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE WHITE, OF JERSEY CITY, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOE, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS,

TO AUTOMATIC BOOK-KEEPING REGISTER COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF DELA- WARE.

FILING- CABINET.

Patented Aug. 22, 1916.

Original application filed June 16, 1910, Serial No. 567,128. Patent No. 1,114,085, dated October 20 1914.

Divided and this application filed December 2. 1913.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, (inoncn WHITE, :1 cm Zen of the United States, residing at Jersey City, in the county of Hudson and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Filing-Gabi nets, of which the following is a speeification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings, which form a part thereof.

My invention relates to filing cabinets and more particularly to a type thereof adapted for use in connection with a register of the type described in my a plication for Letters Patent Serial No. 56 ,128, filed June 16, 1910, which eventuated in Letters Patent No. 1,114,085, dated October 20, 1914, this being a division of said application.

The main object of my invention is to provide a filing cabinet embodying therein a plurality of filing devices each of which is mounted in a supporting casing in a manncr to prevent the complete removal thereof, independently operative means being provided whereby said devices may all be simultaneously locked and any open device will be automatically closed with the actuation of the locking means.

A further object is to provide a cabinet provided with closing and locking means of the character above referred-to, which may be built of a plurality of separable sections each containing a plurality of filing devices, to permit the dismantling of the cabinet to permit the storing of the files in afire-proof safe or vault, or for any other purpose.

A still further object is to provide a filing cabinet of the character above referred to, wherein the several filing devices are nor-- mally closed and locked by means common to all of such devices, said means being under the control of the locking mechanism and being capable, when released, of being operated by the movement of any filing device to prevent the resetting of the locking means except at the will of the operator.

A still further object is to provide a cabinet embodying a. plurality of independently slid'able drawers adaptedto be automati cally closed by the actuation of the locking mechanism, each said drawer having a plurality? of filing compartments provided, sev- Serial No. 804,159.

orally, with a normally closed and inde pendently movable cover so arranged that with the closing of thedrawer the cover will be automatically Closed and latched, thus permitting access to any file without exiosing the contents of other files contained in the drawer, and eliminating possibility of the jamming of the drawer in closing, through the raised cover. And a still further object is to provide a cabinet of this character, the operative mechanism of which will be simple in design and easy of operation.

The invention consists in the novel features of construction and combination of parts hereinafter set forth and (lSFit'lI'lljlBt't and more particularly pointed out in the claims hereto appended.

Referring to the drawings: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a register showing the application of my invention thereto; Fig. 2

is a perspective view of one of the sections grooves 2, a plurality of super l independent casings 3, adapted to be secured relative to the casing l in any desired manner, as by hinged side strips 4-. The ings 3 have slidably mounted therein a phi rality of slidablc drawers 6. which are fiermanently secured in said casings ii- :1 manner to permit that relative movement there of necessary to expose that portion of the drawers 5 containing the matter to which access is desired. or in which it is desired to file a record, while not permitting the complete withdrawal of the (ii'u'itzji. Each drawer 5, contains a plurality of compartments, formed by the partitions A, and each compartn'ient is closed by a. hiugr l cowr i, adapted to be secured in the closed po -ition by a spring latch 8. The hinged connection between the drawer 5 and its (over 7 adjacent to the rear of the compartmeat and embodies therein a spring 9 tending to normally raise the said cover. The location of this hinge is such that with the ('l() l]lg ot the drawer the cover 7 will be forced downwardly by engagement with the top of the casings 3. or with the drawer immediately above. This arrangement is important as it permits the association of a large number of filing compartments, a plu rality of which may be exposed at one time without exposing the contents of any other compartment unless desired. The primary object of a cabinet of this kind is {or use in connection with a system of charge accounts wherein the purchaser could readily see the contents of any cabinet drawer and secure inl'm'mation as to other charge accounts which would be undesirable. were not the independently movable. normally closed covers provided for the separate compartments.

Mounted in the casing l rcarwardly of the casings 3 are a plurality of vibratory or oscillatory rods 10, carried by the arms ll 12. one disposed at the bottom and the other at the top oi said casing 1. so as to insure rigidity in the rods it). ()no set of said arms is arranged upon each side of the longitudinal center of the casings l and 3, and said rods respectively rotate about a. fixed axis 13, under the control ot the reciprocatory rack frame ll. and the segmental racks 15 connected to the rods it), carrying the arms 11 and 12,

Each drawer 5 has nested in the rear portion thereof, a lever system adapted to co" operate with the rods 10 in permitting the opening of any drawer and insure the closing thereof with the actuation ot said rods. This lever system may also be utilized to secure each drawer relatin to its casing 3, allowing that limited movement necessary to fully expose the several drawer compartments.

Each casing 3 carries a tixcd vertical pivot 17 upon which is mounted a plurality of levers 18, 19, the short arms of which project across a recess. 20, in the rear of said casing, and the long arms of which are connected by means of the links 21 with the drawer 5, said means of connection with the drawer being provided to compensate for the are described by the levers l8, l9. '1 he rods 10. being common to all drawers 5, are adapted to enter the recesses 20 in each casing 3. and engage the short arms of the le vers 18, 1%) of each drawer, which levers act as lazy tongs with the opening ot' a drawer or the actuation 'ot the rods '10.

The raclt frame H is provided with means as the extension 22. whereby it may be positively reciprocated at the will of the operator. and said frame is provided with means whtroby may to locked after it has been ac uat d to close the several drawers. This latch mechanism preferably consists of a gravity pawl '23 carrying a bolt 2- adapted to enter the socket 25 in the frame 14. This pawl is under the control of a movable cam it? which may be actuated in any desired manner, the pawl '33 being held in the proper operative relation to the cam 52!") by the stop .57.

The operation of the herein described til.- ing cabinet Normally the frame l-l is held against movement by the bolt 24 of the pawl 23, the rods 10 being pressed against the short arms of the levers 18, 19 thus preventing any mowment of any of the drawers 5. When it is desired to gain access to any drawer the latch mechanism controlling the frame It is released, by disengaging the pawl 23 and the cam 26, thus permitting the said frame to move freely in either direction. The frame It thus being released, any drawer 5 may be opened to the extent defined by the lazy tong connection with the casing 3, the short arms of the lovers 18, 19, through their engagementwith the rods 10, reciprocating the frame 14 and so positioning the said levers as to cause a return movement thereof to restore the levers 18, 19 to normal and automatically close the drawer. The drawer being opened, access may be had to any compartment therein by merely releasing the spring latch 8, the cover 7 of that particular compartment immediatel y springing upward under its spring hinge 9, and remaining in the open position without, however exposing the con tents of any other compartment drawer. The frame it being thus released, access may be had to any drawer, or to any sequence of drawers. without actuating said frame, any drawer being capable of bein r closed independently of the rods it) as wet as therethrough. \Vhcn it is desired to again.lock the cabinet, the trame H is returned to its normal position through the actuation of the extension thereof, in any desired 1nanncr.this movement of said frame thrusting the rods 10 against the short arm: of the levers l9, l9 and oscillating said levers, thus pulling the drawer 5 within its casing 3 througl'i the links Bl. Thereafter the pawl is raised by means of the cam 26. to cause the bolt 24 to enter the socket 25; The rods 10 being common to all drawers 5, their oscillation will automatically close any open drawer, and the means preventing a movement.- of said rods will loclt all drawers in this closed position.

A plurality of drawers 5 being mounted in each casing 23, and a plurality of said cas ings being removably retained in the outer casing. the files may be removed whenever desired and stored in a safe, fireproof vault, or in any other desired place or manner. For convenien e each casing 3 should apis substantially as followszin that.

prorimat-e in size, an odinary day-book or as shown in 2. This arrangeo 3 permits the. extension of the cab rein as desired.

is any drawer 5 is closed under the control of the levers 18 19, or manually, that portion of the cover 7 adjacent to the hinge will the top of the casing 3 or bottom oi the drawer immediately above the.

open drawer and automatically close and latch said cover. This construction is do; sirab'le as avoiding any possibility of any drawer becoming jammed through a misplaced cover.

The form of the invention shown in the accompanying drawings is designed especially for use in connection with a special type of machine wherein the latch pawl 2. 5 and the frame Isl willbe automatically actuated, but the design of the mechanism may be varied to adaptit for use in other connections without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention.

1. am aware that it is not new in the arts to provide filing cav )inets made up of a plurality of separable sections, or to provide means simultaneously looking a plurality of slidablc drawers, but I believe it to be broadly now, however, to providemeans for automatically closing and locking a drawer or series of drawers by a single mechanism.

Having described my invention, What I claim as new and desire to have protected by Letters Patent is:

1. In a filing cabinet, a casing, filing devices mounted therein, a vibratory member, a latch member adapted to control the movement of said vibratory member, and means carried by said filing devices and coiiperating with said vibratory member whereby the actuation of said vibratory member in one direction will permit said filing devices to be opened, and its actuation in the other direction will close said filing devices.

A. In a filing cabinet, a casing, filing devices mounted therein, means securing said devices in said casing while permitting a limited movement thereof, a vibratory mem her, a. lat-ch member adapted to control the movementof said vibratory member, and

lever connected to said drawer to compensate for the pivotal movement of said lever, and the other arm of said lever being adapted to be projected beyond said casing, and a vibratory member adapted to engage said last mentioned leverarm, whereby the actuation of said member in one direction will. permit said drawer to be opened, and.

its actuation in the other direction will close said drawer.

4. In a filing cabinet, a casing, a drawer slidably mounted therein, a lever pivoted to said casing, means whereby one arm of said direction will permit said drawer to beopened and its movement in the other di reotion will close said drawer, and means whereby said frame'may be locked against movement.

5. In a filing cabinet, a plurality of superposed separable casings, a plurality of sliding drawers in each of said casings, means connecting each of said drawers to its casing, said means permitting limited movement of the drawer relative to its casing, means 0 rative upon said last named means where y any open drawer may be closed and all said drawers may be simultaneously locked in the closed position, and means securing said casings relative to each other.

6. In a filing cabinet, a plurality of superposed separable casings, a plurality of sliding drawers in each of said casings, each of said drawers being provided with a lever pivoted to its casing, and means whereby one arm of said lever is connected to said drawer to compensate for the pivotal movement of said lever and the other arm of said' lever being adapted to be projected beyond said casing, and a vibratory member common to all of said levers and adapted to engage with the said last mentioned lever arm whereby the actuation of said member in one direction will permit any of said drawers to be opened, and its actuation in the other direction will close any open drawer.

7. In a filing cabinet, an outer casing hav mg mounted therein a reciprocatory frame, a plurality of oscillatory members adapted to be actuated by said frame, a rod carried by each of said oscillatory members, extending substantially throughoutthe entire height of the said casing, means whereby said frame may be reciprocatcd, means whereby said frame may be locked against reciprocation, and a plurality of superposed separable casings mounted by a tongue and groove connection in said first named casing, each of said casings having slidably mounted therein a plurality of drawers, each drawer being provided with a lazy tongs connection with its sectional casing, said fixed my signature in the presence of two roltlls geing common to fall Eff said tongs, witnesses, this 17th day of July, 1913. w ere the, movement 0 sai ram'e inone directi ii will permit any drawer to be GEORGE WHITE 5 opened and its movement in the other diree- Witnesses:

tion will close any open drawer. 1 j Geo. W. RURODE, In witness whereof, I have hereunto ai- F. D. LAUGHLIN. 

